New Interview with Charlaine Harris

Lynne Jamneck at Suite101.com recently interviewed Charlaine Harris about the life of a writer and her thoughts on True Blood.

Can you tell us a bit about how the Southern Vampire Mysteries were optioned and eventually turned into a TV series?

A producer had an option on the books. When his option was about to expire, my agent told me there were three offers on the table. There were pros and cons to each offer, but when I found one was from Alan Ball, I was intensely happy. He is such a great talent, and I knew from watching Six Feet Under that he totally got the mixture of humor and horror that is life – at least, life as I know it. I was sure he would do the books justice.

What has your personal response been to how Sookie and the rest of the Southern Vampire characters have translated to screen?

Sometimes I have the impulse to cover my eyes, since the sex is more explicit on screen than it is in the books. But I am so pleased with Anna’s portrayal of Sookie, and all the other characters are just amazing. Of course, Alan had to flesh out the stories of the other characters, since the books focus on Sookie, but I love the feeling that even I don’t know what’s going to happen next.

Read the full interview here.